The story of former Cubs star Anthony Rizzo breaking down emotionally, revealing a battle far more serious than baseball, resonates deeply because it mirrors the intense, personal struggle he has championed for years.
It is important to note: There are no confirmed reports from major news outlets or the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation that Anthony Rizzo’s son, whose name has not been widely publicized, has been diagnosed with a serious, rare illness. The headline you are referencing appears to be a sensationalized or misattributed narrative that confuses Rizzo’s personal history with his dedicated philanthropic work.
The deep emotion and the “I thought it was over” quote are almost certainly reflections of his experience battling cancer and the intense empathy he feels for the children and families he serves through his foundation.
The Real Emotional Battle
Anthony Rizzo’s career is defined by a battle “far more emotional than anything on a baseball field”: his own fight against cancer:
- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Survivor: In 2008, at the age of 18, Rizzo was diagnosed with limited-state classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma shortly after starting his professional career. He underwent six months of chemotherapy before being declared in remission.
- The Family’s Pain: Rizzo has repeatedly stated that watching his parents and family suffer through his diagnosis was harder than the chemo itself. This is the source of his famous reflection: “I always say my parents went through it worse than I did… It was a hard road, but with the support I had, it made it easy.”
The Core of His Mission
The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, founded in 2012, is dedicated to supporting pediatric cancer patients and their families. The deep, tearful emotionality described in the headline is what Rizzo projects onto the families he helps:
- “If Only I Could Take the Pain”: This sentiment is the driving force behind his foundation. Rizzo is known for visiting children’s hospitals and telling patients that he understands their pain, a level of empathy that provides immense hope.
- A Father’s Hope: Rizzo is now a father himself (he and his wife, Emily Vakos, welcomed a son recently), and this new role has undoubtedly deepened his commitment to his foundation, where he provides financial and emotional support to families fighting rare illnesses, often covering travel and hospital costs.
While the story you cite is not confirmed to be about his own child, it perfectly captures the spirit of hope and raw emotion that defines Anthony Rizzo’s legendary fight against pediatric cancer.
